Archive for indie

[press release] DAZZLE VISION returns to America for Tekkoshocon 2013

September 24, 2012 indie, Press Release, rock No comments

September 24, 2012 – Japanese hard-rock screamo band DAZZLE VISION will return to America to perform at Japanese anime and culture event Tekkoshocon in Pittsburgh, PA.

Famous for her “Death Voice,” melodic vocals, and high-fashion lolita style, singer Maiko and her band-mates made their USA debut at Sakura-Con 2010 as the opening act for HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR. Since then, DAZZLE VISION has toured in Japan with American rock band Evanescence, released two more albums, and Maiko’s voice has been added to Japanese voice databank UTAU software as the character “Maiko Hakaine”.

DAZZLE VISION will perform a live concert, fan Q&A, and autograph sessions during the four-day event, April 4-7, 2013, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Event and registration information can be found at http://www.tekkoshocon.com.

DAZZLE VISION appears at Tekkoshocon by arrangement with RESONANCE Media and HUMAN NOISE Records.

DAZZLE VISION
Official website: http://dazzlevision.net
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DAZZLE_VISION
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dazzlevision2010
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dazzle-vision/id414432480

[press release] Japanese Punk Rock Band Akabane Vulgars U.S. Tour

August 29, 2012 indie, Press Release, rock No comments

Seattle, WA, August 23, 2012 – The bluesy, Japanese all-girl power trio, The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass, returns to take the U.S.A. by storm as they announce a new multi-city national tour kicking off tomorrow! Catch their songs and image at www.akabane-vulgars.com.

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass 2012 U.S. Tour, “Return of the King Zero,” will take the band to 20 cities and formally kicks off on Saturday, August 25th with a performance at the 2012 J-Pop Summit Festival in San Francisco, following a warm-up gig the day before in Guala, CA at the Bones Roadhouse.

AUG 24, 2012 Gualala, CA – Bones Roadhouse

AUG 25, 2012 San Francisco, CA – J-POP Summit Festival

AUG 26, 2012 San Francisco, CA – Red Devil Lounge

AUG 27, 2012 Sacramento, CA – Blue Lamp

AUG 29, 2012 Los Osos, CA – Sweet Springs Saloon

AUG 30, 2012 Santa Barbara, CA – Whiskey Richards

AUG 31, 2012 Los Angeles, CA – The Redwood

SEP 02, 2012 San Diego, CA – The Ruby Room

SEP 04, 2012 Las Vegas, NV – The Beauty Bar

SEP 05, 2012 Reno, NV – Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor

SEP 08, 2012 Portland, OR – Slabtown

SEP 15, 2012 Seattle, WA – Slim’s Last Chance

SEP 18, 2012 Denver, CO – Lion’s Lair

SEP 19, 2012 Lincoln, NE – Zoo Bar

SEP 22, 2012 St. Paul, MN – Wild Times

SEP 23, 2012 Chicago, IL – (Private Party)

SEP 24, 2012 Chicago, IL – Double Door

SEP 27, 2012 Detroit, MI – Corktown Tavern

SEP 29, 2012 New York, NY – Lit Lounge

OCT 01, 2012 Brooklyn, NY – Trash Bar

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass formed in 2005 and is composed of sisters Yumi Uchizono on guitar and vocals and Miki Uchizono on bass, along with drummer Kei Sofue. The band formed while the members were still in high school but the trio has gone on to enjoy a wide following in Japan with a unique brand of bluesy-rock vocals and soulful lyrics. The Akabane Vulgars is heavily influenced by Green Day, Joan Jett, The Beatles, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Japanese groups such as Blankey Jet City and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant.

The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass have released a self-produced CD, “The Rumps Smolder at the Gloom” as well as a 3-song EP, “We Need The Riot, Our Riot, Your Riot.” The band is preparing to record and release their full length debut on a U.S.-based record label later this year.

“We’re super excited to come back to America for this tour,” says singer Yumi Uchizono. “Each of us in the band has grown up steeped in American music and rock and roll, and it’s going to be so much fun to play for new audiences in these cities. We look forward to making as many new fans as we can!”

[press release] Swinging Popsicle Release New Digital Single on ITunes

July 23, 2012 indie, pop, Press Release, rock No comments

July 20, 2012 – J-Pop veterans Swinging Popsicle released their new digital single, “You’ve Got A Friend,” on iTunes America and Japan today.

Originally recorded by Carole King in 1971, James Taylor’s version hit number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 that same year, and won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Often included in Swinging Popsicle’s live sets, vocalist Mineko Fujishima chose the song to thank the band’s fans for ”their friendship of 15 years.”

Bassist and band leader Hironobu Hirata echoed the sentiment. “I feel that friends are one of the most important things in life. Respect and friendship have kept Swinging Popsicle together for 15 years, and there’s no way we could continue without the support of our fans. So we want to cement our friendship with our fans through this song.”

The release of “You’ve Got a Friend” is the band’s first digital release in 4 years, following 2008′s single “At Christmastime” and 2007′s album “Go on.”

Band members have kept busy in recent years with solo projects, including Hirata’s work with Japanese R&B singer Kusuo and producing Super Sonico’s Love & II+ Peace Plus, which debuted in the Oricon Top 50 in June 2012.

Swinging Popsicle official website - http://www.swinging-popsicle.com
Swinging Popsicle on USA iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/swinging-popsicle/id118880191
Swinging Popsicle official Twitter (Hironobu Hirata) - http://twitter.com/hirata_hironobu

[press release] 2012 J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL @ New People San Francisco

July 16, 2012 indie, lifestyle, pop No comments

Annual Weekend-Long S.F. Pop Culture Celebration In August To Present Video Game-Inspired Artists And DJs Including Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars, SpaceKraft, DJ Amaya, and Vex Mode.  August 25-26, 2012.

San Francisco, CA, July 12, 2012 – NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, invites the Bay Area to get its dance groove on at this year’s 2012 J-POP Summit Festival as the company continues to expand the event’s roster of live programming.

Celebrating the Festival’s theme of “Cyberpop Overload,” a just-announced full slate of video game-inspired artists and DJs will feature mesmerizing and danceable sets from Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars, SpaceKraft, DJ Amaya and Vex Mode. More performers and artists will be announced next week!

The annual J-POP Summit Festival, now in its fourth year and presented in association with the Japantown Merchants Association, will be held across San Francisco’s Japantown district on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 26th.

The event is FREE to attend (although some individual attractions charge a modest entrance fee). The live musical performances will take place on the main stage of Japantown’s spacious Peace Plaza, located across the street from the NEW PEOPLE venue which is at 1746 Post St. Additional information about the J-Pop Summit Festival is available at J-Pop.com. Dates and performance schedule is subject to change.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS – Saturday, August 25th

Random Encounters is the wily otaku team responsible for producing comedic musical numbers based on popular video games. Their show-tune-inspired shorts have developed a massive online following and have caught the attention of game developers at Nintendo, Namco and Electronic Arts. The group’s first music video, inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, won them a trip to Tokyo and the interest of Sega of America, who has become a recurring ally in their quest to celebrate gaming as musically – and humorously – as possible! More information on Random Encounters is available at: http://www.facebook.com/GameMusicals
There are many chiptune artists, but not a lot of chiptune bands. The Glowing Stars, which consists of guitarist/vocalist Lizzie Cuevas, drummer Game Boy, and synth programmer Matt Payne, combine the clicky waveforms and perfect arpeggios of 8-bit processors with the fury of live drums and distorted guitars. Influenced as much by Frank Zappa and Freddie Mercury as Mega Man and Metroid, the band’s wistfully emotional lyrics are more boy-meets-girl than Game-Boy-meets-boss. With customized game hardware sharing the stage with 100-watt half-stacks, The Glowing Stars are half Weezer, half Wario and utterly unique. More information is available at: http://www.facebook.com/theglowingstarsTHE GLOWING STARS – Saturday, August 25th

SPACEKRAFT – Saturday, August 25th

SpacEKrafT is a performance group that re-creates a futuristic interactive travel environment complete with flight attendants, ground crew, video projections, sound chairs, interactive music equipment, personality feedback station and interactive art. The crew of SpacEKrafT also interacts and instructs the persons inside the exhibit. More information on SpaceKraft is available at: www.myspacekraft.com

DJ AMAYA – Sunday, August 26th

DJ Amaya has been DJing and producing his own original tracks and remixes since 2002. He is known best for his underground remixes of the Japanese superstar Ayumi Hamasaki and pop idol group AKB48 as well as a variety of Vocaloid music. DJ Amaya’s podcast “Hitsuzen Radio” features the best in Japanese remixes, and dance music from around the world. More information on DJ Amaya is available at: www.djamaya.com

VEX MODE – Sunday, August 26th

Vex Mode is a DJ and musical artist who started producing video game music in 2005 under the name David Nereus. Vex Mode will join the 2012 J-POP Summit with the pulsing beats of Japanese Rave music (J-Core) remixes to kick off the festival! More information on Vex Mode is available at: http://www.facebook.com/vexmode

“Japan has long been a global Mecca for electronic entertainment and innovation and we’re very excited to welcome an array of musicians, DJs, and artists that are inspired by Japanese pop culture in some way or another,” says Seiji Horibuchi, the President/CEO of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. and Co-Chairman of the J-POP Summit Festival Committee. “This year we will present one of our most robust music line-ups yet, with a variety of rock, pop and electronic artists all set to perform. We invite music fans of all stripes to enjoy a ‘Cyberpop Overload” and savor a truly dynamic weekend that will be the 2012 J-POP Summit Festival.”

A variety of other pop-inspired attractions including fashion shows, theatrical film premieres, live art performances, celebrity appearances, and mini-concerts by some of Japan’s hottest bands are planned for the 2012 J-POP Summit both inside the NEW PEOPLE complex, and outdoors at the adjacent Peace Plaza. Innovative artists from Japan will join a variety of product merchants and food vendors from the Bay Area to offer an array of pop-inspired products and delicacies for sale in open air displays on both sides of Post Street, the main Japantown thoroughfare.

[live report] A Pleasant Nightmare Brought to You by Matenrou Opera

June 5, 2012 indie, visual kei One comment

I had a good nightmare a few nights ago. A translucent, white sheet veiled the stage at Akasaka Blitz. Like demented shadow puppets, male figures writhed around a stock-still silhouette. The sheet lifted to reveal interpretive dancers covered in black soot as power metal guitars directed their bizarre and animalistic movements. No, I didn’t fall asleep watching a Marilyn Manson video (again). This was Matenrou Opera’s Eyes of Justice tour final on May 4.

The (mostly) power metal band was a mish mosh of overdriven guitar highlighted with clear, strong vocals. Like the dancers featured at the beginning of the show, there was an overall doom and gloom to their music that was meant to be slightly grotesque yet entirely stimulating to feed that charcoal-covered modern dancer that lurks in our darkest nightmares. (Surprise! It eats metal music.)

I say Matenrou Opera is mostly metal because the band hits all the basic stopping points on the trail to the metal peak: the guitar is heavily featured, bass lines border on random string slapping, and the drums look aerobically challenging. But not four songs in did the style suddenly turn to the gothic-inspired, staccato, borderline pop rock number “Diorama Wonderland.” I’m not going to inquire on the meaning of the song title (it might be a Community inside joke), but the melodic chorus accented with the distorted tuning of the synthesizer made it closer to Top 40than something deep in the dark basement of metal.

Then you have tunes like “21mg,” which feels bipolar as it swings from overly gleeful arena rock guitars to a moody fit of a vocal melody. Vocalist Sono stomped around the stage like a brash child before the song changed so drastically, I initially thought they started the next number.

The band continued to turn on a dime whenever they got too comfortable in one mood or genre. While not as extreme as the “21mg” example, there was some genre swapping going on from the typical visual kei “Mermaid” to the thrash and menace of “Murder Scope” and “Adult Children.” Between these two songs, I went from wanting to dance around gaily to feeling the urge to sob hysterically in the fetal position, afraid of the monsters under my bed.

Even Sono’s voice seemed to mimic this as he frequently switched from a low croon to a spastic, high-pitched vibrato. In some instances he sounded like an entirely different person. My instinct is to call that a bad thing, but I have to appreciate how nature bestowed quite a set of pipes on that man. Sono floated through the mid-range melodies without much fanfare, but the more challenging vocals are nothing short of impressive. “Kizuna” was not an easy song to pull off with its wide range and key changes, but Sono approached the challenge with a cool head before revving up his voice to explode on the dramatic bits. Though he was a bit inconsistent when it came to quality, occasionally sounding breathless or swallowed up on the lower notes by the rest of the band, when he hit those high notes, the whole audience shivered.

Matenrou Opera is not your typical dark and scary metal band. And that’s their appeal in a nutshell. They’re a nightmare in the entertaining sense. There are pleasant parts like “Kizuna” or how the impossibly effeminate Ayame bounced around with his keytar. And then there are the frightening bits with little to no melody where you’re beaten over the head with a cacophony of guitars and pounding bass. All this is emotionally exhausting, but allows the band to display what makes them unique. Matenrou Opera isn’t quite genre-specific or even genre-bending, but a mélange of everything that’s a little spooky. They’re a nightmare from which I don’t want to wake up.

Official Matenrou Opera website – http://opera.syncl.jp/
[svgallery name="matenrou_2012"]

[press release] RED BACTERIA VACUUM announces California Tour 2012

June 4, 2012 indie, Press Release, rock No comments

June 2, 2012 – Japanese all-girl punk band RED BACTERIA VACUUM will tour California in June 2012, performing 4 shows in live houses across the state.

RED BACTERIA VACUUM last performed in the United States as the opening band for A Perfect Circle’s 2011 Tour.

RED BACTERIA VACUUM California Tour 2012

6/6 (Wed)
Broadway studio
435 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133

http://www.broadwaystudios.com

6/7 (Thu)
AMPLYFi
5600 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004

http://www.amplyfi.com

6/8 (Fri)
Bar Eleven
3519 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

http://elevensandiego.com

6/9 (Sat)
Z Club - Geek Jam
2010 Parker Street
San Luis Obispo, CA

Official RED BACTERIA VACUUM website – http://www.red-bacteria.com/

[live report] La’Mule – My '90s Visual Kei Fantasy Realized

May 2, 2012 indie, visual kei No comments

If a magical visual kei genie appeared before me right now, granting me one wish, I know exactly what I would want: to travel back in time to the mid-90s. I can give up the instant intellectual gratification of Wikipedia and the oversharing aspect of Facebook for a couple of days just to do a massive concert hop of all the bands that were either at their prime then or have since vanished into the annals of obscure Japanese pop culture history.

La’Mule would be one of those bands.

I got my wish, brief as it may have been, on April 6th in Tokyo’s Shibuya REX. La’Mule was always one of those bands whose name you might come across in passing as part of that last-blast band boom that occurred in the late ’90s. Those bands always boasted hair that was unnaturally borrowing from different colors of the rainbow, the vocalists sang like angry goats, and music was more punk – and somehow more honest for it. These were the bands that were more directly influenced by some of my favorites (Kuroyume, to be more specific), and were untainted by the overexposure today’s internet produces. Looks were important, but it was more about the theatricality. Plus, there was no autotune back then.

The venue was tiny, but packed to the gills with surprisingly youngish fans sporting the cyberpunk gothic fashions popular in the late 90s. When the screen rose to reveal vocalist Kon tied in bloody rags to each side of the stage, the compact throng rushed forward. I hovered in the back, afraid to touch this scene out of my ’90s visual kei fantasy, for fear of tampering with it and somehow changing the course of history. You know, the whole time travel cliché. I had to remind myself that it is in fact 2012, and I needn’t worry.

Kon started out clean and clear, bringing a slightly nasal but solid tenor melody that took me by surprise. The La’Mule recordings I’d heard made him sound wane and with the occasional signature goat-bleat, but live, he was an entirely different beast. He ripped himself out of his binds and moved about the somewhat limiting stage like a mad, wounded bird. Beneath the shock of unnaturally red hair, he maintained good eye contact with the audience, which was probably hard not to do in a venue this small.

The instruments, on the other hand, were more or less what I expected. Static and shallow drum beats like a stick on cinderblocks kept the rhythm in the background, allowing the simple but tight guitars to take the lead. This is definitely not a bad thing, as any extra frills might have overcomplicated the music, making the fast-paced beats sloppy and hard to follow. La’Mule is skilled at the style they do, and I wouldn’t ask for much more.

Some songs did manage to surprise me as the guitars played Dorian scales (a.k.a. “that Middle Eastern kind of sound thingy”), adding a little flavor to the music. The tempo slowed down, allowing the audience to sway back and forth. Just as we were lulled into a hypnotic trance by Kon-monologueing, the mood flipped on the crazy switch. The guitars went wild as Kon chucked feathers at the audience like a mental patient ripping apart down pillows. This number was followed by the audience repeating, “Mienakutemo… Todokanakutemo…” (“If we can’t see it…If it can’t reach us…”), covering their eyes with the backs of their hands for the first part, and reaching out toward the stage for the second. It was creepy, but that was the mood they were going for.

The show ended with the band untying the dozens of bloody rags from the stage and rather unsuccessfully tossing them into the audience. The members were crying, embracing each other, and delaying the inevitable: pretty soon, we would all have to go back to the 21st century, with our smart phones and our Lady Gaga. But it was fun to live ’90s visual kei for a couple hours.

Official La’Mule website – http://lamule-official.com/

[press release] MAN WITH A MISSION @ Japan Expo 2012

April 20, 2012 indie, Press Release, rock, Upcoming Events No comments

A headline-making band of wolves “MAN WITH A MISSION” is coming to JAPAN EXPO 2012!!!

With their first single released on 4/4/2012 ranking #6 (as of 4/16) on Oricon’s Weekly Single Chart and their first nationwide one-man live tour going sold-out immediately, MAN WITH A MISSION, a 5-piece rock band of wolves, are rocking away at full speed and expanding their horizons as far as Europe! MAN WITH A MISSION will participate in JAPAN EXPO 2012, a world-famous Japanese cultural event taking place in France.

MAN WITH A MISSION Profile:

Tokyo Tanaka （Vocal）
Jean-Ken Johnny (Guitar, Vocal)
Kamikaze Boy (Bass, Chorus)
Spear Rib (Drums)
DJ Santa Monica (Sampling)

MAN WITH A MISSION is a 5-piece rock band of wolves whose members are Tokyo Tanaka (Vocal), Jean-Ken Johnny (Guitar, Vocal , Rap), Kamikaze Boy (Bass, Chorus), Spear Rib (Drums) and DJ Santa Monica (DJ, Sampling). They are mutant creatures with wolf heads and human bodies. The members claim to be “the extreme creatures” who have surpassed the boundaries of many types and shapes of creatures on earth.

They have performed at various music festivals and events in Japan even before their debut. They also appeared on TV and attracted much attention among those who can recognize real rock sounds.

After carefully but surely paving the way, MAN WITH A MISSION finally made their major debut in June 2011 with their first release going sold-out at many different CD shops all around Japan. Through power-plays on radio and tie-ups with TV programs, they received a tremendous amount of attention as their music was featured on 28 different channels nationwide. Tickets for their first one-man live held in July 2011 were sold-out only in 10 minutes after the ticketing began. Only in 2 months after their debut, they performed at “SUMMER SONIC 2011,” Japan’s biggest summer music festival, in front of an audience of about 10,000. They also participated in big-scaled events such as CDJ11/12 and RADIOCRAZY, thus attracting so much attention from rock fans.

JAPAN EXPO’s scale and number of participating guest artists from Japan kept on growing ever since their very first event back in 2000. With the main theme of introducing Japanese pop culture, JAPAN EXPO is a grand-scale event where everyone can experience what’s happening “in Japan now” at first hand.

MAN WITH A MISSION may come off as a comical band at your first glance, but here is why they were capable of mesmerizing the audience of Japan. Their heavy sounds in a moderate mix of danceable tunes and heart-touching melodies are a sure thing to impress any audience they perform for. That’s why they will be on their way to France for JAPAN EXPO this coming July.

Official Japan Expo 2012 website – http://www.japan-expo.com/
Official MAN WITH A MISSION website – http://mwamjapan.info/

[news] Head Phones President & Gelatine @ The Delancey NYC (April 13, 2012)

April 9, 2012 indie, rock No comments

Very rare opportunity to see two dynamite girl singers of Japanese extreme rock!!

Seiko w/Gelatine and Anza w/Head Phones President (from Japan)

Friday, April 13th, 2012 @The Delancey
168 Delancey St. (bet. Clinton & Attorney) New York, NY 10002

$5 / 21+

Frank Wood Presents:
8pm Minor Cuts
8:45pm Skeletal Life
9:30pm The Cynz
10:15pm Head Phones President (Japan)
11pm Fame Junkies
11:45pm Gelatine
12:30am Slut Junkies
1:15am DJ Rob Nitro

HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT
Head Phones President is lead by Anza, who is a great singer and she is also a well known actress in Japan. It will be an interesting contrast with our own, Seiko…!

Official Head Phones President website – http://headphonespresident.com/
Official Gelatine website – http://www.gelatine5.com/

[press release] Next Music From Tokyo: Vol 4 Canada

March 27, 2012 Electronic, indie, pop, Press Release, rock No comments

Next Music from Tokyo: Vol 4

feat: ZAZEN BOYS, group_inou, Charan-Po-Rantan, Praha Depart

May 18 Toronto @ The Rivoli
May 19 Toronto @ The Rivoli
May 21 Montreal @ Divan Orange
May 23 Vancouver @ The Waldorf Hotel

Next Music from Tokyo is a non-profit cross-Canada tour showcasing the best independent and underground music from Japan. Volume 2 was named concert of the year by the Montreal Mirror in 2010. Volume 3 included a sold-out show at the Rivoli which made BlogTO’s list of Toronto’s best concerts in 2011.

Volume 4 boasts the best line-up yet headlined by one of the most critically acclaimed and important bands in Japan: ZAZEN BOYS

“Taking one band to the top of the Japanese indie rock world makes you noteworthy. Starting all over and doing it again makes you Mukai Shutoku.” – keikaku.net

ZAZEN BOYS is the current band of legendary singer/guitarist Mukai Shutoku. Despite resembling a bespectacled librarian, Mukai is an indie rock god in Japan. Mukai’s former band Number Girl is renowned as one of the most important and influential bands in Japanese rock history. Whereas, Number Girl followed a progressive yet straight forward alt-rock sound akin to Sonic Youth and the Pixies, ZAZEN BOYS is the vehicle for pushing the boundaries of Mukai’s creative and experimental genius. ZAZEN BOYS’ intricate math rock delves unpredictably into electronica, Buddhist hymns, spoken word, blues and Japanese folk. Mukai assembled some of the most talented musicians in Japan to play alongside him and ZAZEN BOYS’ passionate live performances are characterized by a high level of improvisation and an almost unrivalled degree of musical skill.

group_inou is a duo comprised of producer Imai and emcee CP. Imai deconstructs chip tune, hip hop, kraut rock and noise to create strikingly fresh dance instrumentals that seem to come straight out of an 80’s video game. CP ‘s vocals flow with an absurdly broad range in style of playful rapping, singing and occasional screaming. group_inou has shared the stage with Battles, OWEN, deerhoof, Gang Gang Dance, Why?, Locust, nisennenmondai and Melt Banana and have more than held their own. In fact, group_inou’s live performances are legendary for their wild intensity with Imai flailing over the mixing board like an electrocuted squid and CP rapping and singing either within the audience or while crowdsurfing directly above them. group_inou are just as comfortable performing at tiny, cramped venues as they are performing in front of tens of thousands at major festivals such as Fuji Rock and Rising Sun. While group_inou’s groundbreaking music sounds just fine on CD their true brilliance is best appreciated in a live setting.

Charan-Po-Rantan consists of two beautiful sisters: Momo (18yo) on vocals and Koharu (23yo) on accordion/chorus. Koharu says she was born playing the accordion which made labour and delivery quite painful for her mother. All kidding aside, Koharu Matsunaga is an internationally acclaimed accordion player having won numerous competitions. She was National Grand Champion in 2009 and represented Japan at the International Finals of the V-Accordion festival in Rome, Italy. Almost as formidable as her prowess on accordion is Koharu’s razor sharp wit. Koharu’s story-telling and comedic banter during emcee breaks is frequently the highlight of Charan-Po-Rantan’s shows.

Momo’s trademark is to belt out classic and original folk/gypsy tunes while hugging a plush doll pig under her arm. But despite her young age and extremely adorable appearance Momo-chan shines on-stage with the expertise and composure of a veteran cabaret chanteuse. As a duo, Charan-Po-Rantan can captivate any audience with their soulful, quirky charm. However, when backed by their supremely talented support band CANCAN BALKAN, Charan-Po-Rantan’s already potent stage performance is exalted to an awe-inspiring level. Bizarre and campy but oozing with elite musical talent, Charan-Po-Rantan & CANCAN BALKAN’s unique Japanese twist on Klezmer and gypsy/folk songs is guaranteed to elicit cheers from anyone with an open mind and appreciation for good music. CANCAN BALKAN will be accompanying Charan-Po-Rantan on the NMFT tour.

Praha Depart’s music is a fusion of psychedelic rock, metal and shoegaze with a tribal/folk beat. Something the Japan Times describes as “irrepressibly danceable gypsy punk.” The instrumentation and female vocals ebb and flow between darkly serene to ferocious crescendos of emotion and noise. Jumpei’s intricate and powerful drumming forms the backbone. An infectious tribal beat peppered with thunderous fills and improvised solos. Tsukasa layers on simple guitar melodies accentuated with brilliant phrasing, spine shivering effects and lightning speed riffs. Lastly, Mai attacks the low end on bass while using her voice to demonstrate the full spectrum of her emotions with soothing whispers, playful shrills, ear shattering war-cries and bloodcurdling screams. Already revered in Tokyo’s underground, Praha Depart ventured to the US in 2011 playing multiple shows in New York and Philadelphia followed by a European tour with 11 shows in Slovenia, France, Spain, Netherlands and Germany. Praha Depart’s music is soulful, unpretentious and overflowing with emotion and raw power.

Next Music From Tokyo Official Website – http://nextmusicfromtokyo.com
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